Breaking a school record once in a year is a tremendous feat. Doing it twice is almost unheard of.
Tim Chung buried nine three-pointers in a game at Fountain Valley, breaking the old school record of eight, which he had tied the year before. A small but boisterous crowd of Los Alamitos fans were there to witness the event.
The senior guard did himself one better Feb. 17 and had a packed house of Griffin fans to
witness Chung breaking the school record again, converting 10 three-pointers in a convincing 68-50 win over San Clemente in the first round of the CIF-SS Division I-AA playoffs.
Los Alamitos took a 22-6 record into a second round matchup with Pacifica of Oxnard. San Clemente saw its season end at 11-16.
Chung said it was simply a night where he was in a good rhythm. “I try to approach every game the same. You just don’t say ‘I’m going to break a school record tonight,’” Chung said. “My teammates are great. They have set me up well throughout the season.”
Chung tied the school record with the Griffins’ first shot from the floor to open the fourth quarter to give the squad a 60-30 lead. On the ensuing possession, Chung’s attempt was off the mark but a quick offensive rebound by Jack Haley gave Chung another shot.
Firing away just inches from the front row of the student section, Chung was true on this attempt, throwing the fans into absolute delirium and giving the Griffins a 33-point lead. After falling behind 3-2 in the early moments, Chung’s first three-pointer gave Los Alamitos the lead for good, starting a 16-2 run. The opening barrage, which included another Chung three and baskets from fellow seniors Walker and Haley, was a turning point in the eyes of Coach Cary Kutzke.
The Griffins shot 61-percent from the field in the first quarter. Paced by nine points from Chung and eight from Walker, Los Alamitos led 25-10 after one.
Both defenses clamped down in the second with turnovers on both sides keeping a shot from being fired in the first 90 seconds. With a good lead, the Griffin reserves were brought in.
San Clemente was able to cut into the Los Alamitos lead late in the game but sophomore Ryan Hurst broke a 9-0 Triton run with a basket.
After converting better than 50-percent of their shots for the first three quarters, the Griffins fell off a bit late but still managed to make 46-percent for the game (27-59).
Los Al had three in double figures, paced by 30 from Chung. Walker added 13 and Crocker 10. Dominic Fashing had 11 of his 20 in the fourth to lead San Clemente.
